


Bird Feeders

by eilu



Series: Suburbs [3]
Category: Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
Genre: Bird feeders, Birds, Domestic Fluff, Established Relationship, Fluff, Gen, M/M, Post-Canon Cardassia
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-12
Updated: 2019-06-12
Packaged: 2020-05-02 00:03:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 496
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19187896
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/eilu/pseuds/eilu
Summary: Julian puts up bird feeders in their garden. What could possibly go wrong?





	Bird Feeders

**Author's Note:**

> Not really set in the same place as the first two stories as our heroes have moved back to Cardassia, but it fit thematically

Garak grumbled to himself. Julian would not stop babbling about the u'tiks since he first laid his eyes on one in the garden. Ordinarily the little birds were a drab speckled brown, but now that the environment was recovering and they entered breeding season, the birds had molted their sensible camouflage for a flashier emerald green, with the males sporting characteristic bright red feathers on their tails.

"The u'tik seem to be the Cardassian equivalent of a Terran house sparrow" Julian read aloud from a PADD. "Common in gardens and cities, unafraid of people. Known for their distinctive call."

Ah yes, Garak thought. Cardassian birds did not sing, the way Terran birds did. U'tiks made an echoing tok-tok-tok that Julian had compared to an Earth gecko. Being that an u'tik's head was more lizard-like than strictly avian, it seemed rather fitting.

"I don't really see your fascination with them, Julian. They're everywhere. And that repetitive call is rather annoying."

"I think they're cute. And this is the first time I've seen them change plumage! They're so adorable, with their little lizard heads."

Garak shook his head and turned to making tea. Trust his soft-hearted mate to find _birds_ adorable.

\---

Garak came home to find Julian in the garden, hanging up what looked like bowls with spokes from various trees and poles.

"Dare I ask?" he said, raising an eyebrow.

"Oh, these are bird feeders."

" _Bird feeders_? Whatever are those for?"

"For feeding birds, silly. Now, my reading said u'tik eat a wide variety of food, so I filled some with stale bread, and the rest with leftover fruit and nuts."

"Why are you feeding them? Are you trying to lure and catch them Doctor? U'tik do not make good eating, they're too bony."

"What?! No! We're not going to eat them! We're just going to feed them. They brighten up the place, that's all."

"Feeding birds! What a ridiculous idea! Birds are perfectly capable of feeding themselves!"

"Garak, I'll have you know feeding birds is a grand British tradition."

"And ignoring them is an even grander Cardassian one." Garak called back as he entered the house, shaking his head. He had long learned that there was no talking Julian out of these silly ideas once he'd started. Then again, what harm can a few birds do?

\---

"This, Julian. This is why we don't feed birds!" Garak snapped. Their entire roof was covered in u'tik nests, much to the delight of neighborhood children.

"But look at them and their little babies! We can't stop now, they'll starve."

"They ate half my wing beans and three of my amia bushes just this week. They're _not_ starving." Garak hissed. His garden was going to take months to recover.

"I suppose I can just toss Gul Whiskers up there, he'll sort it out. It'll save us this month's cat food." Garak fumed, waking into the house.

"No! Don't you dare!" Julian screamed, chasing after his husband. "Garak don't you dare!!!"

**Author's Note:**

> Gul Whiskers is their sphynx cat. He lived with Garak and Bashir on DS9 and moved to Cardassia with them. 
> 
> You can read more on Gul Whiskers here: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12637473/chapters/28796166
> 
> (he shows up in most of my work. I love cats)


End file.
